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Mediterranean Diet Adds Years to Life

It's a new twist on an old theme, but new research showsonce again that diet and exercise are the keys to a longer, healthier life.

Two new studies based on a large U.S. diet and health survey demonstrate thebenefits of exercise and diet in reducing health risks and prolonging life.

The first shows people who follow a Mediterranean-style diet rich invegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy oils, such as those found infish, olives, and nuts, were less likely to die of cancer , heartdisease , or any other cause over a five-year period.

The second shows people who engaged in moderate exercise like walking for atleast 30 minutes a day most days of the week, as recommended by nationalguidelines, were 27% less likely to die during the study than non-exercisers.Even a smaller amount of exercise produced benefits in reducing the risk ofdeath over the short-term, but those healthy benefits increased with morefrequent and vigorous exercise.

Diet and Exercise Provide Big Benefits

The studies, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, wereboth based on data collected from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Dietand Health Study involving 566,407 AARP members aged 50 to 71 in six states whofilled out diet and exercise questionnaires between 1995 and 1996.

In the first study, researcher Panagiota N. Mitrou, PhD, currently of theUniversity of Cambridge, England, and colleagues looked at the effect of theMediterranean diet on the risk of death over five years.

This diet has gained in popularity in recent years thanks to research thatshows countries that follow the diet, rich in fruit and vegetables and low insaturated fat, have lower rates of heart disease and other health problems.

This study confirmed those healthy effects and showed men and women whofollowed a Mediterranean diet were 20% less likely to die from any cause duringthe study.

In the second study, researcher Michael F. Leitzmann, MD, DrPH, of theNational Cancer Institute, and colleagues compared the risk of dying during thestudy to rates of exercise.

The results showed that people who were moderately active for at least 30minutes a day, most days of the week were 27% less likely to die than thosethat were inactive. But the health benefits of exercise increased withmore vigorous activity. Those who engaged in vigorous activity had a 32% lowerrisk of death during the study; a level of physical activity that was less thanrecommended was linked to a 19% lower death risk.